Assessors are combing through records at the Lynchburg Police Department this week as part of the process to renew the department’s national accreditation.
At City Hall on Monday, a team of three assessors listened to public comments on the department’s performance in more than 350 nationally recognized standards. The public comments are factored into the reassessment.
Five people came to speak — and all but one has professional affiliations with the department.
Carl Conner, guidance director at Linkhorne Middle School, complimented the police department on doing a good job but said he was concerned with the increasing amount of crime in the city.
He offered a suggestion that Lynchburg police officers should live in the city rather than out in the counties.
“When I moved into my home on Lansing Avenue in 1990, three policemen lived in the neighborhood,” Conner said. “Now I have none. I felt pretty decent about having policemen that lived on my street.”
Conner said he thinks that having more police officers living in Lynchburg will help to reduce crime.
Lt. C. Worsham, of the Virginia State Police, spoke to offer his recommendation for the police department to receive its reaccreditations.
“We hold the Lynchburg Police Department in the highest regard,” he said. “We found them to be an extremely professional organization to work with in all aspects of policing.”
Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Doucette told the three assessors that his office has a long-standing, close relationship with the police department and its officers.
Jim Whitaker, a former Lynchburg mayor and chaplain for the police department, said he has not seen an officer act unprofessionally.
“It makes no difference if you are an important citizen or the town drunk,” he said.
Joyce Sachs, president of the Lynchburg Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy Alumni, characterized the department as professional and polite.
The Lynchburg Police Department is one of only 600 nationally accredited agencies out of almost 18,000 nationwide.
Once the review is complete, the assessors will report to the full commission to determine if the department will be reaccredited. That notification will be made in December.
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